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I think the most stylish people are akin to artists most of whom have inner conflicts or are very much inspired artistically to be creative and this is what style is to me. You cant buy this talent and it cant be taught I think it develops over time from inspiration whether it be events in your life, music or your role models.

i like this...

__________________

"It is not money that makes you well dressed: it is understanding."
ChristianDior

This is a really good thread. This discussion reminds of what writers and artists in general talk about. Being born with a gift vs learning a skill such as writing, painting, photography and in this case personal style. There seems to be a split. Some think you must be born with it while the rest think you can learn by practice or building your techniques, skills, etc. I think just about anyone can have the ability to improve yet there will be ones who are a few steps ahead of everyone.

They are often individualistic, don't care for trends or thinking about setting a standard for others to follow and everything he or she touches is personalized, you see them, if you hear, read or see something created by them you'll know. This sets the geniuses a part from everyone. They see things differently and/or in new ways. This isn't to say that people born with it such as style or anything else art related don't spend time learning, exploring or crafting, and plenty do just that. Maybe it's the pessimist in me but I don't believe just because someone spends an awful amount of time practicing or learning something doesn't necessarily means he/she will be great at it. Some are just gifted in areas and excel well.

I think to really excel at something, you have to be born with it, it's part of you as an individual.
That's not to say that good style can't be taught through techniques, guidelines etc. But great style comes is something that one is born with.
IMO...

I think that's the case for any skill basically, for example; I'm quite messy and more creative than structured, but studying at a university has taught me how to be more academic and thus how to write and think more strategic.
But I'm not nearly as good as it as my study partner whom it comes natural to :p

to have good style, you need to have knowledge, knowledge about yourself and knowledge about clothes. basically, it's technical.
to have great style, you need to have vision. vision is unlike knowledge, it's not technical, thus it can't be learned. for example, to have a vision is like having the innate thirst for beauty thus the ongoing quest for inspiration.

Definitely bred, and dependent on things such as location, wealth, health, etc. I worry when we say things like 'people are born with style' that we aren't taking into account class based distinctions -- for example, Bourdieu (1984) noted that the upper classes tended to value the aesthetic nature of clothing, while the working class prioritized functionality and value-for-money. Does this mean that, because working class prioritize different things, that they cannot or are not stylish? Is style something that only becomes a possibility when one has the financial means to prioritize the aesthetic nature of clothing over its functionality?

This being said, I think that some people have more of an aptitude for personal style than others - but once again, this is a learned behaviour highly dependent on social context.

Both. It's obviously something that can be learned, but it can also be an innate thing too. When it's broken down to it's base level, "style" is nothing more than a skill based on an understanding of aesthetics; quite similar to how some people have artistic ability from birth and others don't. Everyone can learn how to paint and it's totally possible for someone to start of with no skill and develop in to a master, but there are some who simply have a natural ability for it. "Style" is no different, although it is not quite on the same scale, if you will, of something like painting.

Definitely bred, and dependent on things such as location, wealth, health, etc. I worry when we say things like 'people are born with style' that we aren't taking into account class based distinctions -- for example, Bourdieu (1984) noted that the upper classes tended to value the aesthetic nature of clothing, while the working class prioritized functionality and value-for-money. Does this mean that, because working class prioritize different things, that they cannot or are not stylish? Is style something that only becomes a possibility when one has the financial means to prioritize the aesthetic nature of clothing over its functionality?

This being said, I think that some people have more of an aptitude for personal style than others - but once again, this is a learned behaviour highly dependent on social context.

There are lots of fashion influences that come from 'the wrong side of the track' ... rockabilly, chola ... how about blue jeans. Sometimes academics miss the point. There are plenty of WASPs who wear a uniform. In fact, I think they all do

__________________There's a need for more individuality today, and my job is to cater to women, not dictate to them. --Alber Elbaz

whats the difference between stylish and fashionable? I can differentiate but which one are we talking about?

& re the comment about the working classes, I think in more recent times the working class person doesnt know style so they go for ostentatious things that they think are stylish. I could waffle on about this for hours *lol*

__________________
"Looking good and dressing well is a necessity, having a purpose in life is not." Oscar Wilde

For the most part I think style is born not bred. However, I think it can time for some people born with it to cultivate their sense of style. A person might not be stylish in their younger years however they are able to figure out how they want to dress through making mistakes or trying out different looks. And even when they weren't dressing their best, I think their is still something about how they look that gives an inkling that they know how to look good. Some people naturally have an innate sense of style whereas others have to work at understanding style. Perhaps, some people can be taught to dress in a stylish manner but I think their will still be something missing from their look. Truly stylish people have a sense of ease about how they look, even when it's a complicated or fancy way of dressing.

__________________http://miss-rumphius.tumblr.com/ "It is ever so much easier to be good if your clothes are fashionable." Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

One can learn the modernist aesthetic of interiors, or how to dress like a hipster or a blueblood or a fashionista - sure.

However, "style" is having vision to create something unique for oneself. Maybe comportment is part of it too, how one carries oneself.

Think of Jane Birkin deciding to carry a basket as a purse, or Edie Sedgwick deciding just to wear tights, and no skirts or pants, and so on. It's not just having stylish pieces and being well-turned out.

It's something to do with uniqueness and creativity. It's personality! This is definitely not bred.

__________________Fashion: Don’t you recognize me? Death: You should know that I don’t see very well and I can’t wear glasses. Fashion: I’m Fashion, your sister. Death: My sister? Fashion: Yes. You and I together keep undoing and changing things down here on earth although you go about it in one way and I another. Giacomo Leopardi, “Dialogue Between Fashion and Death.”abridged